Karnataka - Madikeri   

Advocates seek CoD inquiry into ‘assault’ on colleague

Madikeri: The issue leading to the suspension of the police sub-inspector, P.P. Santosh Kumar, of the Siddapur station is set to take a new turn with the Virajpet Bar Association urging the State Government to order an inquiry by the Corps of Detectives (CoD) into it.

The president of the association, K.M. Madappa, sought a CoD inquiry into the issue on Saturday.

Mr. Madappa and the vice-president of the association, B.C. Subbaiah, produced pictures relating to the alleged torture of an advocate in the police station and said that copies of the pictures had been submitted to the Governor, Human Rights Commission, State Bar Association and the Director General of Police.

“It is a question of human rights violation and custodial ill-treatment,” B.B. Madappa, treasurer of the association, told The Hindu on Sunday.

He said Vinu Pemmaiah, member of the association, went to Arecad village to help his client.

Cases of “kidnap and atrocity on a child” had been booked against Mr. Pemmaiah by the police. But the issue was about “beating up” of the advocate in the Siddapur police. Nobody talked about it, Mr. Madappa said.

Legal process should have been followed to deal with the case, he said.

A private case was booked against Mr. Kumar and two other police officers for allegedly assaulting a person at Srimangala in Virajpet taluk some time ago by certain lawyers.

Mr. Kumar might have nursed a grudge against the advocates and Mr. Pemmaiah had been victimised, Mr. Madappa said. The CoD inquiry was being sought because advocates did not believe that a departmental inquiry would establish the truth, he said.

He said that Mr. Pemmaiah had gone to the spot on a request by his client to settle a dispute over a coffee plantation.

Mr. Kumar is said to have called Mr. Pemmaiah to the Siddapur police station on the pretext of “striking a compromise”.

But a case was made out against Mr. Pemmaiah and he was taken into custody. “It appeared to be pre-planned,” Mr. Madappa said.

Senior advocate B.G. Raghunath Naik said law could deal with any type of criminal act, but there was no room for torture in the police station. There was provision to handle every violation of law.

Mr. Pemmaiah had gone to Arecad based on the request by his client. Doctors or lawyers could be approached any time.

Meanwhile, the dharna in front of the Siddapur police station by some organisations supporting the suspended police officer continued on Sunday.

The former MLC A.K. Subbaiah has extended his support to the officer. Organisations such as DYFI, motor vehicle owners’ association, autorickshaw drivers’ association, loaders’ association, and a few zilla and taluk panchayat members have demanded that the suspension of the police officer be revoked.

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